A New Found Relationship
by Keiko Fujiwara
Summary: Just a New Years Special! :) Warning: IT IS LONG!


**HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE! **

**Here is a New Year's special for our favorite couple! :D**

**A New Found Relationship**

**Keiko Fujiwara**

* * *

"But sis! You have to go! All of New York's finest bachelors will BE at the PARTY! Come on, it's New Year's Eve!" Heather Chandler whined as her sister denied her invitation to the final party of the year.

"I'm not going, Heather. I've made my decision." Catherine replied, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Fine! Then give me one damn good reason why you won't go! If you're not going to go and have some New Year's Eve fun, I wanna know why." Heather stated, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at her older sister.

"I just don't feel like going to a party this year." Catherine answered, thinking of the only person she'd rather spend New Year's Eve with.

"That is NOT a good enough answer, Cat. Either you give me a serious reason or I'm telling Tess you're going!"

"Tess? Since when do YOU hang out with MY work partner?" Catherine asked.

"Since both of us started becoming very worried for you." Heather stated in a sympathetic voice.

"What, is there some type of special group session concerning my life?! I can't believe you two would talk behind my back like that!"

"Cat! Just listen to me! We're worried you're not happy!"

"What do you mean?" Catherine asked, floored that her sister would even think of such a thing. For the past several months, she has been incredibly happy. She and Vincent were starting to transcend to a more personal level. A few times, while talking on the fire escape, they would even hold hands or she would lean against his shoulder for warmth and comfort. Vincent made her feel alive but, there were times she wished she could share his world with her friends and family. '_Maybe that's what Heather is talking about…_'

"Ever since your recovery at the hospital, you've stopped going to social events outside of work! Whenever Tess or Evan asks to take you out for drinks, you're always making up SOME excuse to get out of it! Cat, it's like you don't even have a life anymore. You even refused to go to your work's Christmas party—something YOU'VE never done since you've worked there. What's wrong? Are you having PTSD or something? Because, honestly, it's been two months since you've left the hospital."

"Heather, I can assure you I'm not having PTSD. I guess…I'm not ready to go back out there into the social world." Catherine lied. She knew the reason why she didn't go to social events. It was because she was spending most of her free time with Vincent on her fire escape or on the roof of her apartment complex. "The reason I was shot was because I pretended to socialize with a suspect while being undercover. Who is to say that won't happen again? It's just better if I avoid humanity for a while and just focus on work."

"Cat, that isn't healthy." Heather touched her sister's shoulder. "If you're not going, I'm not going. We can have a sister night."

Catherine smiled but said, "Heather, you go to the party. Who knows, you may meet a sweet guy to replace Jerk."

"His name was Josh, Cat."

"I know." Catherine smirked.

"Are you sure?" Heather asked, still worried about her sister's happiness. "I mean, I know it's like the Party of the Year but I don't have to go."

"Heather, you go. Besides, you'll regret it if you don't. I'll be fine. I promise."

Heather sighed. "You're as stubborn as a mule, Cat. No wonder Dad thinks you're a hopeless cause."

Catherine chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm sure there's someone in this world that's able to put up with my obvious pigheadedness. You go to the party and have a good time, Heather. I'll probably sit back and watch a movie or something."

Heather rolled her eyes and said, "Alright. I'll go but don't make me regret not spending time with you on New Year's Eve! Now, the party is at seven, from what Tess said, so I have about five hours...I guess that's a perfect amount of time to go shopping! Wanna come with?!"

"Shopping? Why go shopping?"

"Duh…You never wear old clothes at a New Year's Eve party! New Year's Eve is basically the shopping day of the year! I mean, come on, it is LITERALLY a holiday for us girls!"

"I've never heard of this." Catherine smiled at her sister's goofiness.

"Just think about it, New Year's Eve is like a contract for a new wardrobe! So you wanna join me?"

"I'm good. Shopping isn't really my thing. Why don't you call up your new buddy, Tess, and see if she wants to go."

"Are you seriously still angry about that?"

"I'm not happy that you two were having Catherine Group Therapy behind my back but, I guess it is what it is. Just no more sessions. Alright? If you have something you're concerned with, just talk to me about it." Catherine replied as she started towards her room. "Don't forget to wear your key earrings."

"Haha…Very funny. Don't worry; I won't lose the key again." Heather said as she grabbed her purse and walked out of the apartment.

Catherine rolled her eyes as she heard the door slam. '_Heather is such a drama queen._' She opened the door to her room and smiled, knowing Vincent was outside on the fire escape. She peered through the window, looked to her right and confirmed her suspicion. "It's cold out there, Vincent. Come in here where it's warm."

Without arguing, the ex-soldier crawled down the steps and slipped into her room. As he closed the window, he found Catherine grinning widely.

"What?" he smirked.

"Oh, nothing." She laughed. "As you've probably heard, Heather, Tess, Evan and my father all think I have no life outside of work. They've literally started a Catherine Needs a Life movement and will most likely stop at nothing until I start showing signs of improvement."

Vincent took her hand and guided her to her bed before gesturing her to sit down with him. "Maybe it's time to tell your sister about my existence."

"What?! Are you insane?"

"Catherine, we've been sort of seeing each other for seven months…If anything, she deserves to know about who you're with when you're not working. Because of the all of the lies, she has a right to worry about you."

"Vincent, that isn't fair to you. You've been off of Muirfield's radar for nearly eleven years. What if she blabbers something to someone about you and word travels? I can't let that happen."

"It would be easier for us to see each other if Heather knew about us. You wouldn't have to shove me into your closet or bathroom anymore whenever she pops into your room." Vincent said as he looked into Catherine's eyes.

"But if I know my sister, she tends to blab off secrets when she's drunk. If she were ever at a party and let your existence slip, something could happen to you because of it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were captured or hurt because of it. Trust me, Vincent; I'd rather deal with people thinking I'm a no-life than telling my sister something that could destroy everything you've done in the past eleven years."

Vincent nodded, knowing Catherine was too stubborn—like Heather had said earlier—for her own good. She did point out some important facts about her sister being a social drunk and realized that maybe she was right. It was too soon for anyone to know about his existence.

"Okay. We'll keep the lid on it for now but, I'm surprised your sister hasn't walked in on us talking yet."

"That's because I have great reflexes and can shove you in a closet faster than my sister can yell my name." Catherine smirked while Vincent laughed. It was true. She was very good in grabbing him at the last second and pushing him into a closet full of an endless amount of shoes.

"For as many times as you've hidden me in that closet, I think I can recall every pair of shoes you own. Seriously, what is so great about owning 30 pairs of shoes? It's literally suffocating! Do you know how long I've had to hide in a closet and smell thirty different styles of leather?"

Catherine laughed at his silly questions, and said, "Believe it or not, I didn't get all of those shoes. Heather, my shopaholic of a sister, bought me at least twenty of them over the past few years, saying I need a better shoe selection. I haven't worn half of them yet."

"Still, that leaves ten shoes you've owned prior to your sister's gifts. So, again, I ask, what's so great about owning even ten pairs of shoes?"

"Well, for a cop that does a lot of undercover work, it is important to own shoes for every situation." Catherine replied, making up an excuse on the spot.

"You just made that up!" Vincent chuckled, "You're heart is pounding slightly faster than usual."

"What am I going to do about you and your super-senses?" Catherine bumped her shoulder against his.

Vincent was about to respond but his cellphone started ringing. "JT." He said, pulling out his phone. "He's probably wondering where I could be at three-thirty in the afternoon."

"Does he really still wonder about that? Wouldn't it be obvious by now?"

"With JT, nothing is obvious in his mind." Vincent smirked as he pressed the talk button on his phone. "What's up?"

The second JT's voice sounded through the speaker, Vincent had to hold the cellphone an arm's length away from him. JT's voice was so loud, even Catherine could hear his frustration.

"YOU'RE OUT AND ABOUT AROUND THREE-THIRTY IN THE AFTERNOON AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS WHAT'S UP!? DUDE! DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT THERE IS A GOVERNMENTAL GROUP HUNTING FOR YOUR BEASTLY ASS?!"

Vincent placed the phone to his ear and said, "JT! Do you forget that I have super sensitive hearing?! No need to shout, man!"

"I'LL SHOUT IF I WANNA SHOUT!" he replied, making Vincent hold the phone away from his ear again.

"JT, Vincent's alright. You can calm down." Catherine said as she turned the cell phone on speaker so Vincent's ears wouldn't start to bleed.

"CALM DOWN! LOOK, MISS I-DON'T-HAVE-TO-WORRY-ABOUT-MYSELF-BECAUSE-I-CAN-KICK-ASS, VINCENT IS NOT SOME BOY TOY FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE! I HOPE YOU REALIZE HE'S RISKING HIS LIFE EVERY TIME HE WALTZES TO YOUR APARTMENT!"

Suddenly, Vincent took the phone and took it off speaker as he placed it to his ear, "JT, that was HIGHLY uncalled for!"

JT's voice calmed slightly and he stated firmly, "Look, dude, someone had to say it."

"No, you're wrong. Listen, JT, as I've said before, this is my life. I know I'm risking Muirfield finding out about me but that's my choice. I'll be back in ten minutes if it'll make you stop freaking out. Alright? Oh, and when I get home, you're going to get more than just a simple hello from me." Vincent ended the conversation with a push of a button and threw his phone down on the bed out of anger.

Catherine rubbed his back and kissed his shoulder.

"Sorry about that…JT can sometimes be an ass without realizing it." Vincent muttered.

"It's okay. I know he doesn't really mean it. He's just looking out for you. That's all." Catherine smiled even though, deep inside, she was a little hurt by JT's insult.

"No it's not, Catherine. He should never have insulted you like that. When I get home, I'll make sure he gives you a call and apologizes. I'm NOT going to let him get away from that—even if he was having an ulcer." Vincent stated as he stood up but kept his hands entwined with hers.

"You don't have to do that, Vincent. JT just isn't used to the idea of us hanging out yet." Catherine tried to defend the biochemist from Vincent's wrath even though she thought he might deserve a little bit of it.

"Catherine, it's been seven months. I think by now he should have gotten used to it." Vincent replied, walking towards the window with Catherine in tow.

"Maybe so…just…don't be too hard on him. The last thing he needs is another heart attack." Catherine lightly laughed as they both stepped onto the fire escape.

"Don't worry. I won't." Vincent smirked, knowing he could never be TOO hard on JT. But, there were times when he had to reprimand his best friend from insulting his ONLY other friend. "By the way, still on for tonight?"

"Yup!" she smiled. "Hopefully, your owner will let you run without a leash."

"Nah…He may loosen the reigns but he's not going to take them off." He laughed, knowing JT would never stop worrying for him just like he, himself, could never stop worrying about Catherine.

"Maybe I can convince him." She winked.

"Probably not a great idea. He was just barking at me because I was over here. If you try to convince him to let me loose, I think he just might blow-up."

"See you at eight?" Catherine asked as he started walking down the fire escape stairs.

"Unless JT or Muirfield kills me first, I'll be there." Vincent chuckled.

"That's not even funny!" By the time she peered over the fire escape's railing, he was already walking down the street, waving to her as he disappeared into the distance.

She rolled her eyes and slipped back inside her room before closing her window. '_What am I ever going to do about him?_' She looked at her watch and realized that Heather has been gone for a good thirty minutes now. '_Guess now is a good time as any to enjoy a nice bath._'

With that, she walked into her bathroom, closed the door and made use of the afternoon.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

"I'm back." Vincent said as he slammed the door to the upper story in the warehouse.

"You said ten minutes. It's been twelve." JT stated, taking a beer out of the fridge before tossing it to Vincent.

"Decided to take the abandoned tunnels for part of the trip down here. Didn't want to deal with being seen during the bright hours of the day."

"Which you wouldn't have to deal with if you had just stayed home like a good dead military experiment gone awry." JT reminded him.

Vincent plopped down on the couch and rebuked his roommate's statement, "Like I said, what I choose to do with my life—"

"You're dead life, but continue."

Vincent gave JT a look of annoyance before continuing. "What I choose to do with MY LIFE is MY CHOICE!"

"Vincent, may I remind you that you USED to never go out during the daytime. Now, Catherine Chandler has you literally floating in a cloud over the city of New York as if you're high and she's your drug choice!"

Vincent rolled his eyes and said, "JT, you may not see it right now but she's the best thing that has happened in my life since Muirfield took it from me. Seriously, it's been SEVEN MONTHS since she and I met for the second time. Get over it already!"

"Vincent, do you see what she's done to you?! It's like you're on cloud nine and I can't get the elevator to work! You may think hanging out with Cat is the best thing for ya but, REALITY CHECK, Muirfield doesn't think so! They'll still get to you any way they can and that INCLUDES getting to Catherine."

"Muirfield hasn't made a move since the incident six months ago, JT. For all they know, I'm still dead."

"Or they're plotting a secret scheme to catch you when you least expect it." JT said and Vincent looked at him with frustration.

"Look, man, I know you mean well but seriously, Catherine is a part of my life now. She has been for seven months, one week, three days, thirteen hours, twenty minutes and thirty-five seconds…now thirty eight. Tonight is New Year's Eve and she and I are going to spend it together."

JT gulped. "W-what do you mean when you say 's-sp-spend'?"

Vincent nearly spat out a sip of his beer as he realized what JT was inferring. "Woah…No way, man. That is NOT what I meant! We're just having dinner together and we might watch a movie afterwards or something."

"Yeah but you plan on kissing her right?"

"T-that's d-debatable." Vincent suddenly felt very uncomfortable about this conversation.

"What do you mean debatable? Come on, Vincent, I may not like the girl all that much but I'm not blind. I see the way you two are all comfy-cozy with each other whenever she's over here. Just remember that kissing sometimes leads to s—"

"We are NOT having this conversation now!" Vincent interrupted before his roommate could finish the three-letter word as if it were tabooed.

"Look, dude, I have no complaints about you seeing Cat tonight—especially since I have plans of my own but be careful. Alright? I know I may seem bipolar right now but I was only flipping out earlier because it was during the DAY time where you are more susceptible of being seen by somebody. That's all, man. All I'm asking is for you to leave a note or something when you're off to Cat's during the daytime. I mean, I know where you are at night because you're almost ALWAYS hanging out with her if she's not over here. I realize, now, that what I said to Cat earlier was super uncool and I'm sorry about that. I'll give her a call in a few minutes to apologize. Okay?"

"Sorry for not telling you that I was over at Catherine's. That was dumb of me for not realizing what my empty presence could suggest. I promise that, in the future, if I choose to go to Catherine's during the DAY time, I'll leave or note or something."

"Thanks man. That's all I ever ask." JT said before going the fridge to get himself a beer.

"Speaking of New Year's Eve…you said you have plans? With Sarah?" Vincent smirked. JT mentally cursed, hoping Vincent wouldn't have caught what he said a few minutes ago.

"Sort of…it's a faculty dinner party…We just happen to be going together."

"Ahhhhh….so are you two planning a little special after party?" The ex-soldier grinned, catching his roommate off guard.

"Grow up, Vincent. We just started seeing each other."

"Dude, you've been having coffee every morning with her for the past six months."

"And this is our first 'dinner' together—even if it is a faculty function. I'm not going to be that jerk who expects everything on the first dinner out. Besides, I don't even know if how well it'll go. Like you and Catherine, we haven't gone past the point of friendly touchi—Okay, you got me, Keller. I see where this is going." JT threw up his hands, admitting defeat.

"Just trying to prove a point, JT."

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm going to go and get some flowers. You want me to buy some for Cat?"

"Nah…I'll pick some up on my way tonight. I'd rather they be fresh."

"Well, unlike you, I have papers to grade so if I don't go now, I won't be able to." JT said.

"Don't forget to call Catherine." Vincent said.

"I won't.

"Alright, see you later. Oh and when you're out, buy a pack of condoms."

"Okay! I most certainly WILL NOT!" JT suddenly processed what Vincent asked for and instantly changed his tone of voice. "I thought you said you weren't going across the bridge tonight!"

"I was just kidding, JT. Come on, man. Lighten up. Seriously, for a man who has an endless supply of sarcasm, you sure don't have a great joke-detector."

"I think I'm just worried about tonight. That must be it."

"Worried? JT? Nah. That's impossible!" Vincent chuckled. He just LOVED getting on his roommate's nerves.

"Well at least ONE OF US is in a good mood. Seriously, for a man who's normally living on the dark side of the Moon, you sure are in high spirits."

"I guess I'm just looking forward to tonight. Catherine and I finally get to have a nice dinner without any interruptions. Christmas Day didn't go exactly according to plan since her car broke down on the way over here from her father's house in New Jersey. She had to spend three hours waiting for a tow-truck. She didn't even have a jacket on."

"Look at the bright side, Vincent, you still got to spend some Xmas time with her. The second she decided to swallow her pride and call you after thirty minutes of freezing off her butt in the cold, you impulsively drove out there to find her and the two of you celebrated Christmas next to a mile marker until a tow truck came. And don't exaggerate and say she didn't have a jacket on because, if I remember correctly, Doctor Keller brought an entire wardrobe of coats and three blankets as well as a thermal of hot chocolate along with Styrofoam cups with him. And if I also remember correctly, after the tow truck came, you brought her back to the warehouse to make sure she didn't end up with hypothermia even though it was highly unnecessary since you basically took care of the freezing situation with the coats and blankets you brought to her. Cat also said something along the lines of 'This was the best Christmas I've had in years.' It's obvious she wasn't unsatisfied. So…you never told me what happened during your two and a half hours long mile marker Christmas celebration."

Vincent smirked at the memory, remembering exactly what had happened.

_**Flashback: **_

_It was 10 PM at night when he received a call from Catherine Chandler after contemplating all of the different reasons she could have been late. JT even handed him a bottle of Tums as he watched his best friend pace a hole into the floor. _

_He immediately pulled out his phone and answered, "Hello?" _

"_Hey…" Catherine's voice sounded dry and shaky. _

"_Catherine, is everything okay?" _

"_Yeah…everything's fine…but it looks like I won't be able to make it for Christmas." _

"_What's wrong? What happened?" Vincent demanded. JT looked over at his friend and could tell something was up by the tone of his voice. _

"_Nothing's wrong, Vincent…It's just…well…my car broke down about eight miles from the New York/New Jersey Border on the New Jersey side."_

"_Alright. I'll be there as soon as possible." Vincent said, taking no for an answer. _

"_Vincent, you don't have to do that." _

"_That doesn't matter. I'm coming." With that, he ended the call before she could rebuke his statement and immediately headed for the closet. _

"_What's going on?" _

"_Catherine's car broke down. She sounded like she was freezing her butt off. I'm going to go and make sure she doesn't catch frostbite." _

"_Vincent, don't you think you're overreacting? I mean, sure it's pretty cold out there but I doubt she's going to need six winter coats and three throw blankets." _

"_I'm just taking precautions. Now, is that thermal still good?" _

"_That's my thermal! I was going to use it tonight!" JT complained but immediately changed his words when he saw Vincent's warning look. "Okay! Okay! I guess I can always make some when I want it! D-don't forget the Styrofoam cups! Oh! And my keys are where they normally are!" _

_Vincent nodded as he grabbed JT's keys and headed for the car to start warming it up and to dump the coats and blankets in the trunk. Five minutes or so later, Vincent was on the road towards Catherine's location. He even remembered to bring her Christmas present with him._

_When he arrived, Catherine was sitting in her car and rubbing her hands along her arms to keep her blood circulating. Vincent drove past her, illegally U-turned and spun the car around to park directly behind her. He immediately got out of the car and headed over to Catherine's car. _

_Catherine saw him running over to her so she opened her car door and stepped out of the vehicle. Before saying anything, he immediately pulled her over to JT's car and popped the trunk open. Quickly, he slung a coat over her head and helped her slip her arms through the sleeves before zipping it up for her. He then pulled out a scarf and carefully wrapped it around her neck. By the time he was done dressing her with three layers of coats, gloves and scarfs, she could barely move._

"_Vincent, I think you're overreacting. If I wasn't going to die from hypothermia, I think I just might keel over from heat exhaustion." Catherine laughed as she struggled to unzip one of the coats but she felt like little Randy from __A Christmas Story__. Vincent realized she was right and removed two layers of coats and two scarfs as well as two layers of gloves. _

"_Better?" _

"_Much." She smiled. "Thanks for coming out here even though I didn't ask you to." _

"_I would have come out here regardless, Catherine." _

_She smiled and kissed him on the cheek before saying, "Well, it may not be a Christmas tree, but I guess we could open our presents near that mile marker over there." _

"_Sounds like a plan." Vincent smirked as he picked up a couple blankets. He laid one on the side of the road before gesturing Catherine to take a seat. _

"_I've gotta get your gift first!" she laughed, heading to her car. _

_In a matter of seconds, she came back with a neatly wrapped box of red and gold paper with a gold bow on the top of it. She set it down next to where she planned on sitting and took a seat down on the blanket before Vincent handed her a Styrofoam cup. She looked at him with confusion before she saw him placing a thermal next to her and it all made sense. _

"_You didn't have to go through all of this trouble for me." Catherine grinned as he brought over a small box and set it down on the other side of the blanket. _

"_Don't worry. It's no trouble at all." He smirked, sitting down next to her before wrapping a warm blanket around both of them. _

_She leaned her head against his shoulder and intertwined her fingers with his underneath the blanket. For fifteen minutes, they just enjoyed each other's company without a single word. _

_Suddenly, Vincent said, "I advise us to drink the hot chocolate before it freezes." _

"_Good idea." Catherine replied, handing him the thermal along with her cup. He poured the still hot liquid into her cup before pouring some into his. _

"_Be careful, it's still producing steam." Vincent said as Catherine took a sip. _

"_Mmmm…it's perfect. Thank you, Vincent." She smiled before taking another one. _

_She placed her cup down and picked up the box that was next to her. "Here. Merry Christmas, Vincent." _

_He put his cup down in front of him and took the box out of her hands. "Did you wrap this? It's beautifully done." _

"_As if! I barely can tie a bow properly." She laughed. "No, the store wrapped it for me." _

"_Oh…well...They did a terrible job then." He tried to say earnestly but couldn't hold a straight face. She bumped his shoulder as she couldn't help but laugh at his failed seriousness. He opened the present as neatly as possible so there wouldn't be much of a mess to clean up once the tow truck arrives, and gently pulled the white box out of the wrapping._

"_Just so you know, I was planning on something different but when I saw this online, I couldn't resist." _

"_I thought you said the store wrapped it for you." Vincent looked at her before lifting the top of the box. _

"_I had it delivered to the store because I didn't want to chance Heather finding it in the mail." _

"_Gotcha." He replied as he pulled the lip of the box off of it. It was a dark green jacket, much like the one he normally wears, with a picture of a fire escape on the back. In the front, in small writing on the top left of the jacket, were the words: FIRE ESCAPE JUNKEE_

_Vincent laughed at the little inside joke and said, "It's perfect, Catherine. I was meaning to have that jacket replaced soon anyways. It was wearing out." _

"_JT mentioned something about you needing a new jacket. I was originally going to buy a different one but I found that one. Of course, the writing on the front was an added joke but the picture on the back was already on there." Catherine said as she took another sip of her hot chocolate. "I thought you might like it." _

"_Like it? I love it, Catherine! Truly. I think this is the best gift I've gotten in ten Christmases. You know, every year, as a joke, JT gets me anything relating to super-soldiers. My first Christmas as…well, you know…he gave me __**The Incredible Hulk**__. It probably wasn't the best gift to give right after the Muirfield experiment. Let's just say it increased my fear of beasting out and hurting people. He definitely learned his lesson after that year. In other years, I've gotten movies like __**Captain America, Thor, Spider Man, Iron Man, Super Man, Batman,**__ oh and let's not forget the classic tale of __**Beauty and the Beast**__." _

"_When did he give you that movie?" _

"_Today." Vincent chuckled. "He thought it was the perfect gift for this Christmas after you entered my life." _

"_Oh." She laughed. "I do have to say, that IS a great movie. If you want, we can watch it sometime together." _

"_That might be fun. Just don't arrest me if I fall asleep before the ending." Vincent smirked as he picked up the small box beside him. "Here's to you, Catherine. I hope you like it." _

_She took the box with one hand and put her cup down with the other. She carefully untied the bow around the box and handed it to Vincent so he could add it to the pile of discarded wrapping paper. _

_As she lifted the small white box, she gasped in awe. "Vincent…You shouldn't have…" _

"_I wanted to show you just how much I care for you." He muttered as he felt his cheeks slightly warming up. _

"_They're beautiful!" she exclaimed. "How were you able to afford this?" _

"_JT lent me the money. I bought it a few days ago when I was on my way home from your place. I saw it in the window of the jewelry store and just had to get it for you. Eventually, I plan on paying him back if I ever get my life back. He literally has a running tab." Vincent smirked. _

_She traced her fingers along the metal chain of the necklace and felt the stunning purple diamond sitting in the middle of teardrop-shaped silver streams fusing together as they meet the necklace's chain. Her eyes also gazed at the two matching earrings hooked next to the necklace. "Oh, Vincent. I'm speechless right now." _

"_I thought you'd like them." He smiled as he watched her remove her gloves and take out the earrings hanging from her ears before replacing them with the ones he gave her. She then unclasped her necklace before gesturing for him to clip the new one on. _

_He took off his gloves and she handed him the necklace. He brought the necklace over her head and wrapped the chain around her neck as she pulled her hair out of the way. He clipped the necklace together and said, "There." _

_She placed her discarded earrings and necklace in the empty box where her other jewelry resided and kissed Vincent on the cheek. "Thank you, Vincent. I love them." _

_Suddenly, a car sped by, and someone scrolled down the window, shouting "GET A ROOM!" before throwing an empty beer bottle their direction. Without thinking, Vincent quickly leaned over Catherine, protecting her from the bottle's impact. Luckily, the bottle-thrower had terrible aim and it smashed into the side of JT's car, giving the car a few scratches. Vincent didn't really pay mind to the car's damage. He was more focused on his and Catherine's current position. His hands were firmly placed on either side of her head, evenly spaced apart and his nose was approximately three inches from hers. He stared deeply into her eyes as she lay silently frozen from shock. He could feel her evenly paced breaths tickling his lips as he heard her heart racing as fast as his. _

_He tried to move but his body wasn't budging. Instead of moving away from her, he was slowly moving closer to her. _

_Two inches. _

_One inch._

_Half an inch. _

"_DID SOMEBODY CALL FOR A TOW?!" _

_Vincent suddenly jumped off of Catherine as they both heard a man shout. He nervously helped her back to her feet and he managed to say, "Go to him…I'll clean things up here." _

_Catherine nodded and went over to the tow trucker while Vincent stayed and hastily cleaned up everything—shoving the blankets, empty boxes, half-filled thermo and empty-used Styrofoam cups into the trunk. He neatly folded his new jacket and placed it on the back seat of JT's car, not wanting it to be scrunched up in the trunk with everything else. _

_Five minutes later, Catherine walked up to him and said, "The trucker gave me his card and told me to come by tomorrow around noon…so…I guess we can go back now." _

"_Okay…I'll take you to the warehouse. I wanna make sure you don't get sick after shivering for nearly thirty minutes. You can stay the night in my bed and I'll sleep on the couch on the other side of the room. Tomorrow, I'll take you back to your apartment with JT's car so you can change and get ready for the day before going to the impound. I'll take you there too if you need me to." _

"_I'll have Heather take me. Thank you though." She smiled before walking around the vehicle to hop into the front passenger seat._

_**~End of Flashback~**_

"…and the rest is history." Vincent finished as JT widened his eyes.

"I was wondering how those scratches got on my car." JT stated.

"Seriously, after that entire story, all you have to say is something about those scratches?"

"Well, how else am I supposed to respond? Should I say: Good job Vincent! Way to go with the romance department! You deserve a pat on the back for your inability to kiss Catherine Chandler before the tow trucker arrived."

"Now I regret ever telling you what happened." Vincent rolled his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be getting flowers right now?"

"Oh. Right. Later dude."

With that, JT left Vincent sitting on the couch, smirking as he replayed the Christmas adventure in his head over and over again. He's hoping tonight will go according to plans. Then again, nothing ever seems to.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

Catherine smiled as she remembered how eventful Christmas was with Vincent. If only she could have someone to share it with. Vincent was right about something; it would be easier on her life if Heather knew about her secret boyfriend (if that's really what he's called). But, even if she wanted to share her wonderful Vincent stories with her sister, she knew it would be risking everything Vincent has done to protect his identity. She would just have to keep quiet a little longer. '_Who knows, maybe Heather might walk in on us while we're talking on the fire escape someday_.'

She finished zipping up her simple, purple dress before wrapping her bathrobe around her body. She couldn't allow Heather to see her wearing an evening gown—especially when she told her sister she was just going to chill at home.

"Caaaat! I need help with this necklace! I just can seem to clasp it with these fake nails!" Heather called from the hallway.

"Coming!" Catherine rolled her eyes and laughed.

She walked over to her sister's room and said, "You look pretty. Have a date yet?"

"Not yet…I'm hoping to meet a hottie at the party." Heather grinned as she handed her sister the necklace. While Catherine clasped the jewelry together, her sister suddenly decided to confront her about something.

"Hey, Cat."

"Hmmm?"

"I was in your room the other day, looking for the lip gloss you borrowed about a week ago and I saw some very exquisite jewelry lying on your vanity. I don't think I've ever seen you wear such expensive-looking jewelry before. Where did you get them?"

"Oh it was a present."

"Birthday? Christmas?"

"B-birthday." She said, impulsively. "A gift from Dad."

"Then why hasn't he ever given me such beautiful jewelry?"

"Oh…ummmmm…maybe it's because I'm his oldest child and he feels sorry for me." She nervously replied.

Heather looked up as she thought about her sister's response and shrugged her shoulders, "Makes sense. He probably wanted you to wear those in public so people would think you're dating even though you're obviously not."

"Isn't it almost time for your party?"

"I'm leaving in ten minutes. Why are you soooo anxious in getting rid of me? Hmmm?" Heather asked as she put on her shoes.

"I just want to start my movie as soon as you're gone. You know how you hate action films. I'm just saving you from unnecessary boredom."

"Ugh…You should at least watch a romantic film on New Year's Eve. It would definitely fill the void of your visibly large pit of loneliness." Heather shivered at the thought of watching action films. "You have a saaaaad life, my dear sister. I swear my New Year's resolution is to get you laid. Yup…that's going to be my 2013 life's purpose."

"I think your taxi is here." Catherine stated as she literally pushed her sister out the door.

"YOU'LL THANK ME ONE DAY, CAT! I'LL SWEAR YOU'LL BE HAVING LOTS OF GREAT SEX NEXT NEW YEAR'S EVE!" she hollered on her way out.

Catherine slapped her face in humiliation as she closed the door. Her other tenants are going to rub that in her face for the rest of her life. '_Great…just great._'

She looked at her watch and noted that it was finally seven in the evening. She ran to her room, excited to finish getting ready for the evening!

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

Vincent nervously waited for Catherine as he finished setting everything up on the ballet roof. Since they didn't want to chance any of Catherine's fellow tenants walking in on them as they ate dinner on the apartment complex's roof, they decided to meet on top of the ballet studio building.

"I hope I didn't make you wait long." He spun around as he heard the voice of the very woman he had been waiting for, knocking over one of the chairs in the process. He clumsily picked it up and scooted it back underneath the table before nervously approaching her.

"Sorry about that…" he said, trying to ease the twinge in his gut filled with a combination of humiliation and nervousness.

"Don't worry about it." she slightly giggled.

"You look…you look beautiful, Catherine." he said, gazing into her eyes after taking in her pure beauty. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed her wearing the jewelry he gave her for Christmas.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." She replied as she glanced at his form—noticing he was wearing the same tux he wore to her father's wedding.

He bent down and lifted a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from underneath the table. "Um...these are for you..."

"They're beautiful, Vincent." she smiled, taking the flowers from his hands and then smelling them.

"Oh, um, here." His voice shook as he pulled back the very chair he knocked down moments before.

"Why thank you, Mr. Keller." She said, slightly pulling her dress up to take her seat. He pushed the chair back in and took a seat across from her while she placed her bouquet of flowers beside her. The table was a perfect square with a red silky table cloth, golden plates and stainless steel silverware. There were two candles placed in front of both of them, each flaming its own pattern. "And what are we having this fine evening?"

"Well, let's first just start on a Sweet Italian Salad if that's okay with you."

"Vincent Keller, are you planning on a fully loaded Olive Garden dinner?" Catherine asked as he served her a small bowl of salad.

"Something like that." He smirked while serving himself a bowl of salad.

Catherine hummed as she slipped her fork into her mouth. Sweet Italian Salad was her favorite salad ever to enter her mouth. She wondered if she ever brought it up in conversation. "This is really good, Vincent."

"Thanks." He smiled as if he just scored a touchdown at the last second of a football game.

After they finished their salads, Vincent said, "Now, according to your 'Finest Matches' profile, you mentioned that your favorite type of meal is Italian. Since I wasn't sure on which type of Italian meal was your favorite, I decided to play it safe and make Spaghetti."

As he lifted up a beautiful China dish and uncovered the lid, Catherine smiled. "In case I haven't told you, Spaghetti IS my favorite Italian meal. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." He said, smirking. He served her plate before serving his and then added, "And we BOTH know there's no such thing as pasta without homemade Red Lobster Biscuits."

As he plopped a roll on her plate, she couldn't help but smile widely at the meal before her. "Okay, so how did you figure out that Sweet Italian Salad, Spaghetti and Red Lobster Biscuits created my favorite meal?"

"I've been watching over you remember? One of your birthdays was catered with Red Lobster food. You obviously served yourself with everything you see on your plate right now." Vincent replied.

"That was seven years ago…"

"I know." He said before taking a bite of the Spaghetti. She followed suit and again, hummed to the food's deliciousness.

As she finished her Spaghetti, she asked, "Did you cook all of this?"

"I did. I went online and searched recipes for the salad and the biscuits. Who knew they'd turn out pretty damn well?"

"Did JT help?"

"Are you kidding? He would have poisoned us if I let him help."

"Is he that bad of a cook?" Catherine asked, planting her chin against her clasped hands as she propped her elbows up.

"He cooked for us the second night after I barged into his life and asked him to take me in and it was the worst decision of my life. He tried making some Mexican pizza out of a cookbook and confused 3/4ths a teaspoon of baking powder with 3/4ths a cup and the dough came out of the oven as hard as brick with a salt concentration three times stronger than the Dead Sea. It was horrible."

Catherine laughed and asked, "Did you eat the entire thing?"

"I tried to but after three bites I ordered Chinese. After that catastrophe, I never let him near the kitchen ever again. He knew he couldn't cook, but me being the naïve friend I was, asked him to. Again, worst decision ever. I don't think I ate a single pizza until at least a year later. I was literally contemplating on burning off my taste buds but decided against it as long as I remember NEVER to let JT near the kitchen again."

Catherine laughed as she could totally picture the entire story. She looked at her watch…9:45 PM.

"Do you want dessert?" Vincent asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Sure. Let me guess…Tiramisu?"

"Lucky guess." He said as he uncovered yet another beautiful China dish.

"Vincent, those dishes are beautiful by the way." Catherine stated as she watched him place the dish back in the basket he brought to carry everything.

"Thanks…they were my great grandmother's. My mother gave them to me before I moved out of the house. They've been patiently sitting in a cabinet at the warehouse, waiting to be used for a special occasion such as this." He smiled.

After enjoying a nice meal up on the ballet roof, Catherine helped Vincent pack everything back into his basket before she offered to drive them to her apartment. She knew Heather wouldn't be back until at least three in the morning so they had time to spend on the fire escape. Vincent followed Catherine down to the street and they hopped into her NEW car before going back to her apartment.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

Instead of taking the traditional entrance, Vincent helped Catherine up to the fire escape and opened the window for her. So she wouldn't rip her dress, she hiked it up above her knees and stepped into her room before releasing the hem of her dress. Vincent followed behind and placed the basket of dirty dishes in the corner of her room before shutting the window.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Just shortly after ten—do you wanna watch a movie while we stall the time?"

"Sure. You pick." He replied, following her into her family room. She opened her drawer of DVDs and pulled out the very movie they promised to see together. "Beauty and the Beast?"

"Why not. Like I said before, don't arrest me if I fall asleep before the ending of the movie." Vincent laughed as she popped the movie into the VCR and changed the input of the TV.

"Don't worry, I'll MAKE SURE you're awake." She winked.

As the movie started, Catherine sat down right next to Vincent and leaned on his shoulder as she laced her fingers with his.

Catherine was right. Not once did Vincent fall asleep during the movie. It wasn't because the movie wasn't boring because most parts of it were, in his opinion. It was because, during the entire production, he was analyzing what Catherine meant when she said she would make sure he stayed awake. He was reading more into it than what she originally meant because, not once during the movie did she try something kinky to keep his attention awake. As the movie's credits played, he realized that she only said what she said to get inside his head. Well, it most certainly worked. That's for sure.

He looked at the time on his phone. 11:45 PM. A quarter to midnight.

Catherine stood up, took out the disk and placed it back into its box before putting the DVD away. She then said, "Wanna go to the fire escape?"

He nodded and followed her to her room. She grabbed a blanket on the way and they exited out of her window before taking a seat on the steps. Catherine wrapped the blanket around their backs and pulled the corners together to create a little cocoon between them.

"I had a really great time, Vincent. Everything was perfect." She whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder. Suddenly she added, "Just to let you know, if you ever hear Heather talking about my jewelry, I lied to her and told her they were from our dad. Luckily she believed me though."

"Of all of the people you could think of, you told her your dad gave the jewelry to you?" he asked with a laugh.

"He was the first person that popped in my mind. Besides, I couldn't exactly tell her Evan gave them to me because we BOTH know how much drama that would have started."

"True." Vincent replied before leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Someday, when Muirfield goes down in flames, I'll get to show you off to the world." She whispered as she felt his nose rub against her cheek as his warm breath tickled her jaw. "Until then, I'm perfectly fine with having you all to myself."

She felt him kiss her temple before muttering her name almost incoherently. For a few moments, it felt as if time had stopped for them. She could feel butterflies build in her stomach as his lips continued to make contact with the side of her face and occasionally her neck. At one point, she shivered from feeling his breath brushing against her sensitive neck while he leaned his forehead against her temple.

Catherine could see, off in a distance, the ball slowly dropping as both of them heard the Times Square crowd begin shouting the countdown.

"10! 9! 8!"

The butterflies in her stomach continued building as the New York City voices rang in her ears, making her want the New Year to come faster.

"5! 4! 3! 2!"

While the butterflies began to explode within her stomach, she turned her face slightly towards his before slowly pressing her lips against Vincent's—slightly taking him by surprise.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" they both heard New York scream in the distance.

Catherine found herself wrapping her arms around his neck as he cupped her face. Both of their sudden actions proved something between the two of them. Neither Beauty or Beast wanted to pull away. They both desired much more but knew they wanted to take their newly-established relationship at a graduate pace. Catherine gently pulled away and whispered, "I love you, Vincent Keller."

Vincent never thought, for almost eleven years, he would ever hear those words come from anyone ever again. He kept his hands upon her face and kissed her forehead, then her nose and fused his lips with hers once more, this time, much more passionately than the first.

As his lips slowly slipped away from her bottom lip, causing her lip to quietly smack against her upper lip, he whispered, "I never thought I'd ever get to say this to anyone ever again, Catherine but here I am today, in love with the most amazing woman in the universe. Happy New Year, Catherine Chandler. You have no idea how much I love you."

With her hands still latched behind his neck, she pulled her face up to his level and smiled. "Happy New Years to you too, Vincent Keller."

She slowly joined her mouth with Vincent's and swept her tongue across his as he opened his mouth in rhythm with hers. Neither of them realized a pair of eyes staring at them as their tongues delved into each other's mouths.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted their perfect moment together, causing them to rip their lips from each other and stare at the intruder.

"H-heather!" Catherine stammered. "I thought you wouldn't be home until later!"

"Party was lame. Tess brought me home. Looks like one of us had fun tonight." She smirked and looked at Vincent and grinned. "So he's the secret boyfriend you've been trying to hide from me. I don't think we formally met. I'm Heather Chandler. Your girlfriend's annoying, perky younger sister! You?"

"V-vincent…Vincent Zalanski…" he lied.

"You told me he was made up!" Heather glared at her sister. "I expect a full explanation in the morning. I'm tired. You two have fun!" she sang as she started leaving Catherine's room.

"W-wait, Heather! How did you know I had a secret boyfriend?!"

"Puhlease, Cat. I wasn't born yesterday. There's NO WAY Dad would have ever bought you THAT expensive type of jewelry. If I know dad, he has poor taste in jewelry. Why else do you think he asked me to accompany him when buying Brooke's engagement and wedding ring? Besides, you're always so spacey and you never seem to stop looking out your fire escape window. Now I understand why." Heather grinned before disappearing.

"Well, that was embarrassing." Catherine said to Vincent.

"Think of it this way, now you don't have to lie to your sister anymore."

"You told her your last name is Zalanski…last time I checked, that was a downright lie." She laughed.

"Okay…well…did I say you had to tell her the complete truth?"

"I don't think I wanna tell her the complete truth, Vincent. I'm perfectly fine with being the only other person, aside from JT, to know about your secrets." She smiled. "It makes me feel special."

Vincent kissed her briefly on her lips before standing up. I think it's about time I go. You're going to need your beauty sleep to survive Q's and A's with Heather Chandler."

"You're probably right." She said. "See you later?"

"Always." He whispered before pecking her cheek with a kiss. Without anything else to say, he jumped off of the fire escape and headed for home.

"Wait! You forgot your…" Catherine's voice faded because he had already disappeared into the night. She smiled to herself. '_Oh well…He'll be back._' With that, she slipped into her room, closed her window and readied herself for bed before pulling back her covers and embracing the comfort of her bed.

She knew one thing is for certain. There was no possible way she was ever going to let Vincent Keller leave her life. He was a man she planned on keeping, even if she had to follow him to the ends of the earth in order to keep him safe.

Just as he would do anything for her, she would do anything for him. And that's what made them so perfect together. They both had a need that couldn't be completed without the other. They both loved each other and now, as the New Year has started, so will their continuously complicated yet new found relationship. Neither could ask for anything better.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**Alright Beasties…it is now a quarter to 4 in the morning so Cheers! Happy New Years!**

**By the way, if you want to see the jewelry Catherine received as her Christmas present, here is the link. I hope it works: **

**http (COLON) (SLASH) (SLASH) sell (PERIOD) lulusoso (PERIOD) com (SLASH) upload (SLASH) 20120324 (SLASH) diamond (UNDERSCORE) jewelry (UNDERSCORE) sets (UNDERSCORE) wedding (UNDERSCORE) indian (PERIOD) jpg**

**Let me know if it doesn't work!**

**Oh and yeah, that Mexican pizza disaster…that actually happened to me…I was the one cooking it….heh…..luckily I learned from my mistakes. **

**Again, HAPPY NEW YEARS! **

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW IT WAS! :)**


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